Corporate schwag -- T-shirts, mugs, mousepads -- has long been a way of saying "We appreciate you" or "Please don't forget us." We're not immune from making stuff with our name on it, of course. But we do try to pick things to sell that are fun, sturdy, and usable.

We're telling you this because Google Store has had a makeover. We're not telling you to go there. But if you do, you'll have a better shopping experience (as they say) than previously, especially if you live outside the U.S. We're even open all night.

Some other Googlers have stopped by to introduce themselves, so it seems appropriate to say hello. Many Google Blog readers may not have heard the story of how GoogleGuy got started, so forgive this bit of historical rambling.

I'm a Google engineer. About three years ago, I was waiting for a program to finish compiling, and I was reading what people online were saying about Google. I remember seeing a question from a site owner about how to structure his site for better crawling, and thinking it would be great if a Googler could just pop by to answer technical questions like that. And then I thought, I'm a Google engineer. I can answer technical questions like that. So I did. Since then, I've managed to post around 2,000 messages in various web forums, setting the record straight whenever possible.

Of course, I had to have an online nickname. What if I got sick, or needed to take a break? I needed a handle that someone else could step into if necessary. After not a lot of consideration, GoogleGuy seemed just right. My primary inspiration was the Man in Black in The Princess Bride. When he returned to Buttercup, he could just hand the reins to a new Man in Black. It didn't bother him that no one knew his true identity:

Fezzik: Why do you wear a mask? Were you burned by acid, or something like that?Man In Black: Oh no, it's just they're terribly comfortable. I think everyone will be wearing them in the future.

So there you have it. Lately, I've been pretty quiet, but at some point I'll hit the Google blog again to hold forth on, say, which is better in a url: hyphen or underscore.

Later -- but hopefully, soon,

GoogleGuy

P.S. Usually, it's a hyphen.

P.P.S. If anyone knows of a good source of iocaine powder, lemme know. I've spent the last few years building up an immunity to it just in case. But you know how it is: hard to find these days.